Buttoning-machine.



H. ELENSLIN. BUTTONING MACH INE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I2y I912.

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

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H. E. ENSLINQ BUTTONING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12. 1912.

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H. E. ENSLIN.

BUTTONING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12. 1912.

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BUTTONING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED'SEPT. I2, 1912.

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H. E. ENSLIN.

BUTTONING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- IZ, 19 I2- LQUJ51]. Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

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BUTTO NING MACHINE.

APPLICATLON FILED SEPT- 12. I912.

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.,

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H. E. ENSLIN.

BUTTONING MACHINE- APPLICATION FILED SEPT.IZ,19IZ- 1 JLfiWMfiL Patented Dec. 55,1916.

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HERBERT E. ENSLIN, 0F MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATTERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW J ERSEY.

BUTTON IN (Er-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 19116.

Application filed. September 12, 1912. Serial N 0. 719,979.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HERBERT E. ENsLIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Malden, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Buttoning-Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures This invention relates to buttoning machines and the machine herein shown and described for the purpose of illustrating one embodiment of the invention is particularly designed for operating upon the uppers of boots and shoes.

Viewed in its broad aspects, the general object of the invention is to provide a buttoning machine by the use of which buttoning operations may be performed quickly and satisfactorily and without danger of damaging the work operated upon.

More particularly, the invention aims to provide a satisfactory machine especially adapted for use in buttoning the uppers of boots and shoes.

In the manufacture of button boots and shoes, it is the general practice, after the different parts of an upper and its lining have been stitched together and preparatory to the assembling and lasting operations, to button a suflicient number of the lower buttons upon the upper to hold the button piece and the buttonhole fly correctly positioned with relation to each other to permit the upper to be fitted properly to the last and the shoe to be lasted properly. This operation of partially buttoning the uppers of button boots and shoes preparatory to the assembling and lasting operations has heretofore been performed in shoe factories by hand operatives employing ordinary button hooks. Hand buttoning is, however, open to serious objections. The hand method is expensive because the operation of buttoning each button is somewhat complicated and, more particularly, because the buttoning must be done one button at a time, so that for both these reasons the output by the hand method is necessarily small. Moreover, this hand operation requires considerable skill and, in consequence, hand operatives receive comparatively high wages considering their output. The hand method is also expensive because of frequent damage done to the work, for example by stretching or tearing out buttonholes or by ripping off buttons.

No practicable machine for performing the above mentioned buttoning operation has heretofore been proposed and in shoe factories, prior to this invention, so far as I am aware, this operation has been performed universally by hand.

Since, as above suggested, it is commonly desired in buttoning the uppers of boots and shoes to button a plurality of buttons upon each upper, usually at least three or four and frequently seven buttons, the preferred embodiment of the invention is designed to permit the presentation thereto of work provided with a plurality of buttons and buttonholes and to perform substantially simul taneously as many complete buttoning operations as may be desired with respect to the said work. Preferably, too, the machine will be constructed and arranged to be substantially entirely automatic in its operation after the work has been introduced into the machine so that the operator, after placing the work in the machine, can take up and arrange another piece of work in readiness to introduce that into the machine as soon zfis the first piece of work is discharged thererom.

Very important features of the invention reside also in the shapes of the various devices employed and in the combinations and organizations through which those devices are operated in proper time relation to cause the various steps in the operation of the machine and the operation of the machine as a whole to be performed effectively and rapidly.

These and other objects and features of the present invention, including numerous novel details of construction and combina tions of parts, will appear from the following detailed description read in connection with the accompanying drawings and the novel features of the invention will then be defined in the appended claims. It is to be understood however that, although in the foregoing statement of the objects of the invention, and in the following description emphasis is placed upon certain particular objects and features of the invention, the invention is not intended to be limited thereby.

It is also to be understood that, although the preferred embodiment of the invention is herein described asbeing especially designed for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes and particularly for use in partially buttoning shoe uppers prior to the assembling and lasting operations, 'it is nevertheless contemplated that, as above suggested, the present invention as a whole or various features thereof may have many and widely different applications. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be determined by the broadest construction of the terms of the claims which is permitted by the prior art.

* Referring to'the drawingS:.Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying the present invention; Fig. 21s a front elevation of the machine; Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal vertical section; Fig. 41 is anangular} perspective of a portion of the machine as viewed from the front, showing the various operating instrumentalities of the machine in their initial positions; Fig. 5 IS an isometric perspective, looking toward the front of the machine from a point above and at the rear ofthe center of the machine,

various interfering parts of the frame and operating mechanisms having been broken away; Pug- 61S aside elevation show ng the relative locations of the various operating instrumentalities of the center set in the initial positions of the parts; Fig. '7 is a detail in perspective of parts shown in Fig; 5

the conclusion of a buttoning operation;

Fig. 18 is a front end detail, partly in section, with the parts in the positions shown I in Fig. 17 and on a somewhat larger scale; Fig. 19 isa side elevation illustrating the buttoned work from the machine; Fig. 20 is operation of the means for discharging the anangular perspective looking from above of a part of the work receiving means; Fig.

7 21 is a vertical section of a part of the means for holding a button and positioning a buttonhole for a buttoning operation; Figs. 22

and 23*are details in perspective of parts shown in Fig. 21; Fig. 2-1 is a detail in perspective of the loweiiportion of one of the buttoning instrumentalities, and Fig; 25 is an exploded view in detail of a button holder. 7 c I The machine'franie 2, which supports the operating parts of the machine, is designed to be placed upon a suitable work bench or table The frame 2 is provided with a cover 41' (F g. 1) pivoted at 6 to the said frame to permit the cover to be swung backwardly to afford access to the parts housed within the frame. Conveniently, the cover 1 is pro vided with a window (not shown), the location of which is indicated generally at 8 to let light through to the work.

Mounted in suitable hearings in the frame 2 is a driving shaft 10 (Figs. 1 and which carries fixed thereto a driving pulley 12. Securedto the hub of the driving pulley 12 is a pinion 14: meshing with a spur gear 16 loose'on a counter shaft 18 (Fig.3) which carries the cams from which the principal moving parts of the machine are operated, the direction of rotation of the shaft 18 being indicated by the arrow (Fig. 1).

The clutch for causing the cam shaft 18 to be driven from the driving shaft 10 through the pinion 1a and spur gear 16 may be of any suitable construction, the illustrated machine being provided with one form of the wellknown Horton clutch having a stop 20 (Fig. 1) controlled by a detent 22 slidingly mounted on a rod 2 .1- and normally pressed downwardly by a spring 26. The rod 21which carries the detent 22 is secured to one arm 28 of a bell crank lever indicated generally at 30 and fulcrumed on the machine frame at 32, the other arm 31 of the bell crank lever 30 being operated by a dctent 36 (Figs. 1 and on an arm 38 linked to a treadle rod 10 passing through a split end of the lever arm 34 and a slot 412 in the machine frame and connected at its lower end to a starting treadle not shown.

Upon depressing the starting treadle, the detent 36 is forced downwardly into en agement with a projecting plate 14 connecting the branches'of the split end of the lever arm 34 of the bell crank lever 30, with the result that the arm 34 is swung downwardly and the detent 22 is disengaged from the stop 20, thereby throwing in the clutch and starting the machine. The clutch is constructed to maintain a driving connection between the cam shaft 18 and the driving shaft 10 during one complete revolution of the cam shaft 18 at the end of which the clutch is thrown out. To cause the clutch to be thrown out automatically at the end of one complete revolution of the cam shaft 18, the cam shaft 18 has fixed thereto a cam 4-6 (Fig. 1) having a high point 4:8 adapted at the end of one-half a revolution of the cam shaft 18 to engage and raise one arm 50 of a lever, indicated generally at 52' and fulcrumed on the driving shaft 10, of which lever the other arm 5 1 (Figs. 1 and 2) carries at its free end a pin 56 which is caused by upward movement of the lever arm 50 to engage and throw the arm 38 sidewise to disengage the detent 36 from the projection 14 on the lever arm 34, whereupon the arm 3%, being released by the detent 36, rises under the influence of a spring 58, pinned at one end to the arm 84 and at its other end to the machine frame, and the detent 22 is thereby thrown into position to engage the stop 20 and throw out the clutch to stop the machine. A spring 60, connected at its lower end to a pin 61 on the arm 38 and at its upper end by a pin 63 to the machine frame, normally tends to pull the arm 38 and treadle rod l0 upwardly to restore the treadle to its initial position when released by the operator.

As heretofore suggested, the machine is designed to be capable of performing at substantially the same time a plurality of buttoning operations, the operation of completely buttoning a single button being usually herein termed a buttoning operation. For operating on each button, the illustrated machine has a set of operating instrumentalities comprising work receiving means and buttoning means. As shown, the machine has seven such sets of operating instrumentalities, although obviously the number of sets may be greater or less as desired, the illustrated machine being equipped with the above stated number of sets because in practice seven buttons is usually the greatest number which it is desired to button with respect to a single upper.

The work receiving means include both button holders and buttonhole fly holders, usually herein termed fiy holders. For receiving the buttons, each set is provided with a button holder comprising an upper U- shaped horizontally disposed fork 62 having an extended shank 63 superimposed upon and secured as by screws 64 (Fig. 3) to a block 66, a lower fork 68 carried at the front end of the block 66 and a pair of fingers below the fork 68 and pivoted by pins 69 to a plate 71 (Figs. 6 and 25).

Springs 73, by engagement with the outer sides of the fingers 70, cause the said fingers to be normally held together. The pins 69 pivotally secure the fingers 70 between the block 66 and the plate 71 (Fig. 25), passing through holes in the rear ends of the spring-pressed fingers 70 and through holes 77 in the plate 71, while the plate 71 is secured to the under side of the block 66 by a screw 79 passing through plate71 at 81. The springs 73 are connected by an integral bar 83 received in a slot in the under side of the shank 63 of the fork 62 and secured in place betwee n the shank 63 of the fork 62 and the block 66 by one of the screws 64. passing through the bar 83 at 87 into the said shank 63 at 89. The forks 68 are designed to sustain the heads of the buttons while the spring fingers 70 are arranged to receive the eyes of the buttons between them. The forks 68 also constitute guides to facilitate the introduction of the button eyes between the spring fingers 70 and, with this in view, are preferably arranged to project forwardly at their ends slightly beyond the forward ends of the spring fingers 70. Preferably, too, the forks 68 are formed with their prongs somewhat blunt to prevent the said prongs catching in the work during the placing of the buttons in the button holders and, particularly, to prevent the said prongs from picking up and catching in the line of button fastening thread on the inside of the button piece.

In order that the spring fingers 70 may embrace and inclose snugly with yielding pressure the eyes of buttons thrust between the said fingers, the fingers of each pair have their inside faces notched near their front ends as best shown in Fig. 25. In the use of the above described button receiving means, the buttons are held upright in the holders by reason of the flat bottoms of the button heads resting squarely upon the up per faces of the forks 68, while the spring fingers 70 by closely embracing the eyes of the buttons prevent accidental disengagement of the buttons fr in the forks 68 and the upper forks 62 limit movement of the buttons transversely of the button holders by engagement with the peripheries of the button heads on opposite sides thereof.

Each of the blocks 66, which carry the button guides 68, is set into a slide bar 72, the slide bars 72, as shown, being so cut away to receive the blocks 66 that the upper faces of the blocks 66 and the adjacent up per faces of the slide bars 72 are in the same horizontal plane. The slide bars 72 are each supported in a guide 74 (Fig. 5), the guides 74- being secured against movement lengthwise of the machine ,by interlocking engagei'nent of upstanding projections 76 from each of the said guides 74 with shoulders 78 formed by slots 80 in a tie plate 82 (Figs. 2 and 5) extending transversely of the machine and secured at either end as by bolts S-l (Fig. 5) to ledges 86 on the inside faces of the side walls of the machine frame 2.

For receiving the buttonhole fly, each set includes a fly holder comprising a horizontally disposed fork 88, positioned above and in vertical alinement with the corresponding button holder, and a buttonhole spreader to be hereinafter describec. Each fly supporting fork. 88 is formed on the front end of a slide bar 90. The slide bars 90 pass through and are supported in the guides 74, each slide bar 90 being superimposed and resting upon the corresponding slide bar 72 of the serjiesof slide bars which carry the button holders.

At their rear ends, the slide bar 90 and the slide bar 72 of each set are split and the split ends of the said slide bars are respectively adjustably secured, as by set screws 92 and 9a (Figs. 3 and 5),'in open shells 96 ray and 98 placed back to back, the said screws 92 which secure the rear ends of the slide bars 90 passing through a slot 100 in a frame 102 mounted for sliding movement lengthwise of the machine on ways 104 on the opposed inner faces of the side Walls of the frame 2, and the said screws 94 which secure the rear ends of the slide bars 7 2 being similarly arranged in a slot in a frame 106 mounted in the same manner to slide along ways 108 on the machine frame. Movement of the frame 102 one way or the other lengthwise of the machine operates to reciprocate the forks 88 in and out toward and from the machine, while movement of the frame 106 one way or the other operates similarly to move the button holders in and out toward and from the machine, the movements of the fly holder forks 88 and button holders backwardly toward the machine being for the purpose of carrying the work into position to be delivered to the buttoning means and thereafter withdrawing them to inoperative position and the opposite movements of the fly holders and button holders forwardly away from the machine serving to restore them to their initial work receiving positions. For thus operating the frames 102, 106, which, as above stated, move the slide bars 90 and 72 and, consequently, the fly holders and button holders lengthwise of the machine, the frame 106 has a rearward extension 110 (Figs. 3 and 5) pivotally connected to a link 112 pivoted to one arm 114 of a bell crank lever indicated generally at 116 (Fig. 3) and fulcrumed on the machine frame, the lever 116 carrying at the end of its other arm 118 a cam roll 120 traveling in a cam path 122 on the inside face of a cam 124 on the cam shaft 18. For similarly operating the frame 102, the said frame has a rearward extension 126 connected in the same fashion by .a link 128 to an arm 129 of a bell crank 1ever indicated generally at 130 and fulcrumed on the machine frame, the lever 130 carrying at the end of its other arm 131 a cam roll 132 engaging a cam path 134 on the inner face of a cam adjacent to the cam 124 on the cam shaft 118.

The buttonhole spreaders which, with the forks 88, constitute the fly holders, comprise for each set a pair of horizontally disposed spreader arms 136 located below the fly supporting forks 88 and pivoted at their rear ends for opening and closing movement in a U-shaped shell 138 at 139 (Fig. 20). In order that the spreaders may be moved with the forks 88 lengthwise of the machine upon movement of the slide bars 90, each shell 138 is connected at 140 to the corresponding fly holder slide bar 90 near the front end of the said slide bar 90, the slide bars 90 being each cut away as indicated, for example, in Fig. 6, to accommodate the shells 138. Each spreader arm 136 carries on its front end an upstanding blade like projection 142. The two spreader blades 142 of each set in their initial and normal position project upwardly through the corresponding fork 88, as shown for example in Fig. 6. To maintain the spreader arms 136 of each set normally together in their closed position, extensions of opposite sides of eachof the shells 138 constitute spring fingers 144 (Figs. 6 and 20) which press inwardly against the outer faces of each pair of spreader arms 136.

In the use of the machine, the buttonhole fly, indicated at A in "arious figures, is initially positioned, as shown for example in Figs. 3, 4, 6 and 7, the buttonhole fly A being rested upon the supporting forks 88 and the spreader blades 142 projecting upwardly through the buttonholes.

In view of the fact that the buttonhole fly frequently exhibits a tendency to buckle and round up toward the center, the forks 88 preferably, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, have their fly supporting faces disposed at elevations progressively increasing from the end members toward the center of the series, the forks S8 in the illustrated construction progressively increasing in thickness toward the center. To prevent catching in the outer or end buttonholes of the series of buttonholes to be operated upon during the introduction of the work into the fly holders, each of the outer forks 88 preferably has only one prong, as best shown in Fig. 4, this prong being disposed inside of the adjacent spreader blades 142, the outer me1nbers 88 being nevertheless for convenience generally herein referred to as forks as well as the intermediate and forked members 88. In the illustrated construction, too, the spreaderblades 142 progressively increase in height so that each pair of blades 142 may have substantially the same relative position with respect to the adjacent fork 88. Preferably also the outside pairs of spreader blades 142 are bent slightly outwardly as best shown in Fig. 4, to obviate the danger of the fly springing away from the forks 88 after the operator has positioned the fly thereon and released it.

In their initial positions, the button and fly holders are, for convenience in introducing the work, projected forwardly away from the machine and in front of the but toning means (see, for example, Fig. 3) the term work as employed in this specification and the appended claims being, for convenience, used in a broad sense to designate whatever is handled or operated upon by the various instrumentalities of the machine or any of them, and being therefore variously applied for example to the upper as a whole, to the button-piece or buttonhole fly or both or to the buttons attached to the upper. lit will also be noted that to facilitate further the introduction of the work, the several button and fly holder forks each open outwardly away from the machine and toward the operator. During the first part of the operation of the machine, the fly holders through their above-described op erating mechanism are moved backwardly toward the machine to position the buttonholes for the action of the buttoning means (Fig. 8), the spreader blades 142 preventing accidental disengagement of the fly from the fly holders during movement thereof, and thereafter the button holders are similarly moved backwardly into the position shown in Fig. 12 to bring the buttons into alinement with the buttonholes and in position for the operation of the buttoning means. During the backivardmovement of the fly holders relatively to the button holders, the spreader arms 136 are forced apart to cause the spreader blades 142 to act on opposite sides of each of the buttonholes to spread the buttonholes and hold them open (Fi 9) to facilitate the entrance therein of the button head engaging means, as will be hereinafter more fully explained. In order to cause the spreader arms to be thus separated during the above mentioned backward movement of the fly holders, each of the shanks 63 of the forks 62 of the button holders has upstanding therefrom a projection 146 (Figs. 6 and 20) standing, in the normal position of the parts, in a slot formed by recesses or notches in the adjacent faces of the corresponding spreader arms 136 so that the projections 146, during a part of the op eration of the machine, are in sliding engagement with the inner faces of the spreader arms 136 with the result that, upon backward movement of the fly holder forks 88 while the button holders remain stationary, the spreader arms 136 will be wedged apart as soon as the openings between the said spreader arms are carried beyond the projections 146 and the spreader blades 142 of each pair will be oppositely moved to open. the buttonholes, the relative positions of the above mentioned parts at this point in the operation of the machine being shown in Figs. 8 and-9. For the purpose of permitting the Spreaders to be later lowered to withdraw them from the buttonholes, the connections 140 of the shells 138 with the fly holders 90 are pivotal connections about which the shells 138 may swing downwardly and upwardly. For loweringthe spreaders out of the buttonholes and withdrawing them backwardly into an inoperative position after the buttonholes have been presented to thebuttoning means and thereby engaged and held for the buttoning operations, the shells 138 which carry the spreader arms 136 are provided with rearward extensions 148 (see, for example, Figs. 6 and 20), having curved end faces 150 adapted to slide over inclined faces 152 formed on the blocks 66 which carry the button guides 70. The construction is such that, at the proper time, backward movement of the slide bars 90 which carry the fly supporting forks 88, while the slide bars 72 which carry the button holders remain stationary, will cause the curved end faces 150 on the shells 138 to ride up over the inclined faces 152 on the blocks 66, thus tipping the shells 138 about their pivots 140 in a direction to swing the spreader arms 136 downwardly to withdraw the spreaders from the buttonholes, continued backward movement of the fly holder slide bars 90 then operating to carry the spreaders backwardly to an inoperative position shown in Fig. 10. In order to provide that the spreaders may be held normally in their uppermost position, the shells 138 and the shanks 63 of the forks 62 are provided with opposed coiiperating abutments 153 and 155 and each of the fly holder slide bars 90 is provided with a spring pressed plunger 154, shown for example in Fig. 6, ar ranged to engage a shoulder 156 on the extension 148 formed on the adjacent shell 138, the curved end faces 150 on the shells 138 riding up over the inclined surfaces 152 of the blocks 66 against the pressure of the plungers 154 during the lowering of the spreaders out of the buttonholes.

The buttoning means comprise for each set means for taking the work from the re ceiving means and holding and positioning a button and entering and positioning a buttonhole together with buttonhole fly engaging means, and the buttoning opera tion is effected by relatively moving the said holding and positioning means and the buttonhole fly engaging means. For taking the work from the receiving means and holding and positioning the buttons and positioning the buttonholes for the buttonmg operations, each set has opposed relatively movable devices comprising a vertically disposed plunger, indicated generally by the numeral 158, (best shown in Fig. 21), and normally located above the corresponding fly holder, and an opposite coiiperating anvil 160 positioned below the corresponding button holder and having, in the form shown, a flat work engaging face. Each plunger 158 comprises a stem 162 (Fig. 21) having in its lower portion a slot 164 (Figs. 21 and 23) and extended therefrom to form a relatively thin blade 166. Each plunger 158 is adjustably supported in a sleeve 168 (Figs. 3 5 and 21) by means of an adjusting nut 170 and a checknut 172 threaded on the upper portion of the plunger stem 162, the adjusting nut 170 resting upon the upper face of the adjacent plunger sleeve 168. By loosening the check nut 172 and turning the adjusting nut170,

, operations.

down in its carrying sleeve 168 either to .adjust the normal height of the plungers for button heads of difierent thicknesses or for the purpose of raising the plungers to cause them to be entirely inclosed within their sleeves 168 if it is desired to use less than the entire number of plungers. A rather stiff coil spring 174 (Fig. 21) encircles each plunger stem 162, each spring 17 4 being seated upon a shoulder 17 6 formed between each plunger stem 162 and the slot 164 therein and bearing at its upper end against a shoulder 17 8 on the inside face of each sleeve 168. Each slot 164 contains a block 180 pressed downwardly in the slot 164 by a coil spring 182 of suflicient strength to hold the said block normally at the lower end of the said slot and to return it thereto after displacement in said slot. 'The upper end of each spring 182 bears against the upper end of the slot 164, each sprin 182 being fastened at its lower end to a pm 184 on the adjacent block 180. Secured at their upper ends by pins or screws to each block 180 and depending downwardly therefrom on opposite sides of each plunger blade 166 are two opposed springs 186, the lower ends of which, in the normal positions of the parts, extend downwardly somewhat below the lower end of the plunger blade 166, as best shown in Fig. 21. These spring plungers 186 with the associated plunger blades 166 constitute button head engaging devices, cocperating with the anvils 160 in positioning and holding the buttons for the buttoning operations. The spring plungers 186 are also designed to be caused to enter the buttonholes to position them for the buttoning The inner faces of the spring plungers 186 of each pair near their lower ends are hollowed out at188 (Fig. 22) to form between them a seat for the end portion of each blade 166 and the recesses 188 terminate in inclined surfaces 190 (Figs. 21 and 22), so that, upon downward movement of the blades 166 relatively to the spring plungers 186, the blades 166 will be forced to ride over the inclined faces 190 on the spring plungers 186, thus separating or spreading slightly the two spring plungers 186 of each set and holding them open, the adjacent blade 166 passing between them. In order to prevent side play of the'blade ends 166 of the plungers 158 in the sleeves 168, the plungers 158 have offset ribs 191 which give the plungers 158 a bearing at either side against adjacent walls of the carrying sleeve 168. The ribs 191 also prevent side play of the spring plungers 186 with respect to the blades 166, the said spring plungers being received between the said ribs and being confined thereby against sidewise movement (Figs. 21 and 23).

The plunger carrying sleeves 168 are supported in holders 192 (Fig. 5). In order that the sleeves 168 may be removably supported in the holders 192, the sleeves 168 near their upper ends are each provided with a groove adapted to receive the forked end of a member 194 which end embraces the grooved portion of the sleeve 168 below a shoulder formed on the said sleeve by the said groove, the forks 194 resting upon the upper faces of the holders 192 so that the sleeves 168 are prevented from being dislodged from the holders 192 by downward movement. The sleeves 168 are held against upward movement in the holders 192 by lateral projections 196, 197 (Fig. 21) on their front and rear faces respectively which projections engage shoulders 198,199 (Fig. 1) formed by cutting away the front faces of the sleeve holders 192. The sleeve holders 192 are mounted for movement with a head 200, provided at its ends with rearwardly directed extensions 202 (Figs. 3 and 5) adapted to slide up and down on correspondingly formed ways, indicated at 204, (Fig. 3) on the machine frame to permit the head 200 to be vertically reciprocated to lower and raise the plungers toward and from the work.

The head 200 is lowered and raised by means of a bell crank lever indicated generally at 206 (Fig. 3) and fulcrumed on a shaft 208 extending transversely of the machine and supported at its ends in the machine frame. prises two forwardly extending arms 210 carrying at their front ends rolls 212 mounted for sliding movement lengthwise of the machine in slots 214 in the extensions 202 of the head 200 and a single rearwardly extending arm 216 carrying a cam roll 218 arranged to travel in a cam path 219 on the outer face of the cam which has on its inner side the cam path 134.

The anvils are carried on the front ends of bars 220 and, in their operative position, are in vertical alinement with the plungers 158 and spring plungers 186. Each anvil bar 220 extends through and is carried in one of the guides 74. Each anvil bar 220 engages at its rear end a cross rod 222 (Figs. 1, 2 and 8) extending transversely of the machine and supported at its ends for turning movement in the frame 2. To permit the anvil bars 220 to be readily removed from the machine, and, at the same time, to provide for locking them in the machine when in use, the cross rod 222 has two opposite flattened sides (see for example Figs. 1 and 3), and each of the anvil bars 220 is split at its rear end and provided with a slot 224 adapted to receive the rod 222 in one position thereof and so shaped that, when thereafter the rod 222 is turned in the slots 224 into the position shown, for

The bell crank lever 206 com- 1 example, in Fig. 3, each anvil bar 220 is securely locked in engagement with the rod 222. To secure the rod 222 in looking engagement with the anvil bars 220, the said rod extends at its ends outwardly beyond the outer faces of the side walls of the frame 2 and is provided at one end with a check nut 225 (Fig. 2), and at the other end with a cross pin 226 (Fig. 1), adapted to be dropped into a recess in the outer face of the adjacent side wall of the frame 2, and a thumb head 227.

In order that the anvils 160 may be raised and lowered toward and from the work, the anvil bars 220, intermediate between their ends, rest upon a cross bar 228 (Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5), adjustably secured as by screws 229 to a bar 231 connecting two forwardly extending arms 230 of a bell crank lever indicated generally at 232 and fulcrumed on a shaft 234 extending transversely of the machine and supported at its ends in the machine frame, the lever 232 having a single rearwardly extending arm 236 carrying a roll 238 (Fig. 3) which travels in a cam path 240 in the outer face of the cam 124 on the cam shaft 18. As shown, the center anvil bar 220 is yieldingly held against the cross bar 228 by a spring 241.

To assist in supporting the button piece, indicated at B, when the buttons are placed in the button holders, each anvil bar 220 carries upstanding from its front end a spring 242, the upper portions of the springs 242 being formed, as shown for example in Fig. 3, to extend just beneath the forks 68 in the normal position of the said forks and the free ends of the springs 242 projecting slightly in front of the ends of the said forks so that, in introducing the buttons into the holders, the button piece B is passed under the forks 68 and over the springs 242 which serve as guides for the button piece to facilitate the introduction of the buttons into their holders and also help to support and hold up the button piece, thus taking some of the weight from the button heads, the large quarter indicated at C falling outside of the springs 242, as shown in Fig. 3. Preferably, to insure against catching in the work and particularlyto prevent picking up the line of button fastening thread, the free ends of the springs 242 are bent as shown, for example, at 243 in Fig. 6.

The construction of the above described parts is such and the operating mechanisms are so timed that, after the buttonholes have been alined with the plunger springs 186 through backward movement of the fly holders (Fig. 8), the spreader blades 142 during this movement being opened to spread the buttonholes and hold them open to facilitate the passage of the spring plungers 186 through the buttonholes (Fig. 9),

(Fig. 21

the plungers 158 are lowered by downward movement of the head 200 until the ends of the spring plungers 186 have entered and passed through the buttonholes (Figs. 10 and 11). Thereafter, the spreaders 142 are swung downwardly out of the buttonholes and withdrawn to an inoperative position in the rear of the spring plungers 186 (Fig. 10) and the buttons are brought into alinement with the spring plungers 186 (Fig. 12) through backward movement of the button holders. The buttonholes being thus posi tioned and held by the spring plungers 186 and the buttons being alined with the said spring plungers and with the buttonholes held thereby, the plungers 158 are further lowered through continued downward movement of the head 200 to bring the spring plungers 186 into engagement with the crowns of the button heads and, after the spring plungers 186 have engaged the heads of the buttons, the anvils 160 are moved upwardly through upward movement of lever 232 to support the buttons from below (Fig. 13). The buttons being thus held against tipping movement in any direction, the button holders are thereafter withdrawn backwardly to an inoperative position (Fig. 15), leaving the buttons held between the spring plungers 186 and anvils 160 in such a manner that the sides and bottom of each button head are left entirely free for the operation of the buttoning instrumentalities.

In order that the spring plungers 186 may hold the buttons as firmly as possible against the anvils they are shaped to conform sub stantially to the transverse curvatures of the button heads by being curved somewhat at their lower ends, (as shown for example in Figs. 1 and 21), preferably in planes extending substantially at right angles to each other. Preferably, too, the blade ends 166 of the plungers 158 are similarly slightly curved (Figs. 21 and 23).

The buttonhole fly engaging means of each set comprise a pair of buttoning fingers which, as shown, are integral with and form downwardly depending extensions of each sleeve 168 (Fig. 21), one at the front and the other at the back or rear of the said sleeve, and two side tuckers 246 comprising springs adjustably connected at their upper ends to the corresponding projection 196 from the sleeve 168 by screws 248 received in slots 250 (Fig 3) in the tuckers 246. The said buttonhole fly engaging means of each set, comprising two front and rear fingers 244 and two tuckers 246 may be termed abuttoner and will, for convenience, be frequently so referred to hereinafter.

The buttoners, being fixed with relation to the sleeves 168, are, of course, carried downwardly and upwardly with the said sleeves upon movement of the head 200. In the operation of the machine, after the spring rr la plungers 186 and anvils 160 have been oppositely moved to clamp the buttons and the button holders have been withdrawn to an inoperative position, the buttonhole fly engaging instrumentalitiesbeing alined thereby with the button heads and the buttonholes being held directly above the heads of the buttons, a further downward movement of the head 200 is effected through its oper ating lever 206 During this downward movement of the head 200, the buttoners are brought substantially simultaneously down upon the buttonhole fly and then forced still farther downwardly to crowd the edges of the buttonholes down over the upstanding button heads, the buttoners acting at sub stantially the same time upon the fly near each buttonhole upon the sides and at the front and rear thereof.

The buttoning fingers 244, as shown, project downwardly slightly below the lower ends of the tuckers 246 so that the fingers 2 1 1 engage the buttonhole fly slightly in advance of the engagement of the tuckers therewith and push the stock adjacent to each buttonhole downwardly from the position shown in Fig. 13 into engagement with the button heads, as illustrated in Fig. 15. In order that this pushing action of the said fingers 244 may be effectively accomplished and the said stock properly positioned and conditioned for the action of the tuckers, the said fingers are, as shown, especially shaped and arranged to carry the stock into engagement with and around it over the heads of the buttons smoothly and without wrinkling or puckering. With this in view, the fingers 24 1 are formed with outturned ends arranged to engage the stock near each buttonhole at the front and rear of the buttonhole and positioned and shaped to slightly more than straddle the adjacent button head so as to push the stock against the button head without pinching the stock. As the buttoning fingers 25% bring the stock against the button heads (Fig. 15), the tuckers 2 16 are brought into engagement with the buttonhole fly directly above the head of each button at opposite sides and at the edges of each buttonhole (Figs. 15 and 16), the tuckers engaging the edge binding stitches of the buttonholes (Fig. 16).

It will be understood that, during the said downward movement of the head 200, the spring plungers 186 are prevented from partaking thereof by their engagement with the heads of the buttons, the eyes of which are rigidly upheld by the anvils 160. During this movement of the head 200, the blade ends 166 of the plungers 158 are forced over the inclined surfaces 190 on the inside faces of the spring plungers 186, the blade ends 166 wedging the two spring plungers 186 of each set apart and passing downwardly between thesaid spring plungers into engagement with the crowns of the button heads. This relative movement of the blades 166 and spring plungers 186 is permitted by the springs 182, the blocks 180 traveling in the slots 164 in the plungers 158 upon downward movement of the head 200 after the spring plungers 186 have engaged the heads of the buttons. The springs 182 and 17st are so proportioned as to relative strength that the springs 182 are compressed enough more rapidly than the springs 17-h to cause th spring plungers 186 to be separated and the blade ends 166 to engage the crowns of the button heads before the tuckers 246 engage the edge binding stitches of the buttonholes. In consequence, the heads ofthe buttons are each engaged shortly before the buttoning action of the tuckers by the three point contact made by the separator end 166 of the plunger 158 and the ends of the associated spring plungers 186 (Fig. 18) and are solidly clamped between these instrumentalities and the anvils 160. Furthermore, this construction is such that not only is the entire downward movement of the head 200, after the spring plungers 186 engage the heads of the buttons, yieldingly effected but the springs 182 of each set yield under pressure of the work and provide for positioning the button head engaging instrumentalities according to differences in contour and thickness of the button heads while the springs 174: subsequently increase the pressure of the button head engaging instrument-alities.

The separation of the spring plungers 186 carries the two springs of each pair outwardly toward and near the edge of the button head, as best shown in Fig. 18, the button head being nearly covered thereby to prevent the, tuckers 2 16 striking and nicking or marring the button head as they are brought into engagement with the fly at the edges of the buttonhole. Moreover, the tuckers 2 16, which yieldingly overlap the spring plungers 186 upon the outer sides of the said springs, are, of course, spread apart by the spreading action of these springs so that the tuckers are positioned to insure that they will engage the buttonhole upon the opposite sides thereof exactly at the edge. At the same time, the spreading of the spring plungers and tuckers operates to spread the buttonholes substantially, thus facilitating the buttoning operation of the tuckers by carrying the sides of the buttonhole out toward the edge of the button head on opposite sides thereof. As a result, upon continued downward movement of the head 200 while the stock is held smoothly against the button head by the pushing action of the fingers 2 1 1, in order to effect the buttoning operations, the tuckers, operating in engagement with the edges of the buttonholes, merely have to strip the stock on opposite sides of each buttonhole oil the spring plungers and carry it over the edge of the adjacent button head. To further facilitate the buttoning action of the tuckers and to insure that the buttoning operations may be satisfactorily completed, the tuckers are shaped (as best shown in Fig. 24) to conform substantially to the contour of the button heads and to tuck the stock at the edge of each buttonhole on opposite sides thereof under the head of the adjacent button and then to crowd the stock snugly against the eye of the button after the tuckers have carried the said stock under the button head. )Vith this in view, each of the tucker-s is provided with an inturned end or lip (Fig. 24) and this end and the portion of the tucker adjacent thereto are curved to conform substantially to the curvature of the edge circumference of the button head, as clearly shown in Fig. 24. After the completion of the buttoning operations, the head 200 is again raised and the anvils 160 are swung downwardly sufficiently to release the work from the plunger-s, buttoners and anvils.

For automatically discharging the buttoned upper from the machine after ithas been thus released, the machine, as shown, is provided with an ejector comprising a horizontal bar 252 extending transversely of the machine and arranged for sliding movement in a groove 254 (Fig. 3) in the upper face of the center anvil bar 220. The ejector bar 252 is operated by means of a pair of levers indicated generally at 256, (Figs. 1 and 3) each comprising two pivotally connected arms of which one arm 258 is pivoted at its free end to the ejector bar 252 and the other arm 260 is bent, as shown for example in Fig. 3, and is provided with a slot 262 extending around the bend in said arm. In each of the slots 262 travels a roll 264 projecting from the anvil lever 232. When the anvil lever 232 is operated by its cam to raise the anvils 160 into position to support the button eyes and then to lower the said anvils into their normal inoperative position (shown for example in Figs. 2, 3 and 4), the rolls 264 travel up and down in the short portions of the slots 262 and no movement is imparted to the ejector bar 252. After the release of the work at the conclusion of the buttoning operations however, the anvil lever 232 is caused to have a further downward movement from the position shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 into the position indicated in Fig. 19 with the result that the rolls 264 are caused to travel backwardly in the long portions of the slots 262 and the levers 256 are thereby operated to move the ejector bar 252 forwardly to discharge the buttoned upper from the machine (Fig. 19).

In order to adapt the machine for operating upon uppers of different lengths, Widths and patterns, the machine has provision for making various adjustments of the operating instrumentalities. In order to adjust the operating instrumentalities of the machine for operating upon uppers of different lengths or having differently spaced buttons and buttonholes, the machine,'as shown, is constructed and arranged so that the different sets may be simultaneously moved toward or from each other upon movement of an adjusting treadle which operates to move at the same time the sleeve holders 192 and the guides 74 so that, upon movement of the said treadle, the plungers, buttoners, button and fly holders and the anvils are simultaneously adjusted toward or from each other. Preferably, and as shown, the center set is fixed against movement transversely of the machine and the other sets are movable toward and from the center set. In order to. provide 7 for movement transversely of the machine of each of the sleeve holders 192 except the center holder, the said sleeve holders have pivotal connections at 266 (Fig. 5) with blocks 268 having rearward extensions 270 arranged to slide transversely of the machine in a cross slot 272 in the head 200. Cap plates 274 pinned to the extensions 270 of the blocks 268 slide in recessed ways 276 in the head 200 so that the sleeve holders 192 are secured to the head 200 for up and down movement therewith and, at the same time, may slide in the head 200 transversely of the machine. For operating the blocks 268 to move the holders 192 and, consequently, the plungers and buttoners carried thereby toward or from each other, each of the cap plates 274 has pivoted to it, as by a set screw 277, one end of a toggle link 278, the links 27 8 on opposite sides of the center set extending in opposite directions. At their other ends, the toggle links 278 are pivoted to a lever 280 constituting a common toggle link and fulcrumed on the head 200, as by a screw 282. The construction is such that there are in effect two sets of toggles of each of which toggles the center link 280 forms one arm. At its upper end, the center link 280 carries a roll 283 (Fig. 3) traveling in a vertical slot 284 (Fig. 5) in an extension 286 of a controller 288 mounted to be shiftable transversely of the ma chine along parallel rods 290 supported at'their ends in the machine frame. The controller 288 is operated by means of a bell crank indicated generally at 292 and fulcrumed at 294 to the top of the machine frame (Figs. 3 and 5), one arm 296 of the bell crank 292 having a pin and slot connection with the controller 288, which connection comprises a pin 298 (Figs. 3 and 5) on the said. controller received in a slot 300 in the arm 296 of the bell crank 292. The other arm 302 (Fig. 5)

of the bell crank 292 has av universal joint connection with a rock shaft 304 supported in a lug 306 on the machine frame and extending through a bearing in the adjacent side wall of the said frame. The rock shaft 304 at its outer end is adjustably secured as by a set screw 308 to an arm 310 which, in turn, is linked to a foot treadle (not shown) by a rod 312 (Figs. 2 and 5), the said foot treadle constituting the adjusting treadle before referred to. The illustrated universal joint connection between the arm 302 of the bell crank 292 and the rock shaft 304 comprises a box 314 (Fig. 5) pivoted to a reduced end 316 of the lever arm 302 and formed to receive a ball 318 on an arm 320 on the rock shaft 304, the ball 318 having oscillating movements in two directions in the box 314. For regulating the amount of pressure on the adjusting treadle required to move the controller 288, there is provided a friction brake comprising a band 322 err circling the rock shaft 304. One end of the band 322 is secured by a pin 324 to a block 326 formed on the lug 306 and the other end of the band 322 carries a screw threaded extension supported in a strap 328 secured to the block 326 as by screws 330 and provided with an adjusting nut 332 by means of which the friction of the brake band 322 on the rock shaft 304 may be regulated. The pin 324 at its outer'end is received in a curved slot 334 in the inner end of the arm 310 and constitutes a stop to limit adjustably the amount of depression of the treadle, adjustment of the position of the arm 310 on the rock shaft 304 by means of the set screw 308 regulating the amount of travel of the arm 310 and consequently of the adjusting treadle. I

For moving the guides 74 to adjust the fly holders and anvils simultaneously with the adjustment of the buttoners and plungers and correspondingly, each of the guides 74, except the center guide, which, as above stated, is stationary, is provided with a cap plate 336 (Fig. 5) connecting the upstanding projections 76 on the guides 74 and the .cap plates 336 are connected with a downwardly extending arm 338 of the controller 288 by a toggle arrangement similar to the above described arrangement for operating the sleeve holders 192, the toggle arrangement for operating the guides 74 transversely of the machine upon movement of the controller 288 comprising a series of links 340 pivoted at their outer ends to the several cap plates 336 and pivoted at their inner ends to a lever 342 constituting a common central toggle link and fulcrumed as by a set screw '344 to a cross piece 346 of the tie plate 82. 60

The common center link 342 at its forward end is connected to the arm 338 of the controller 288 by a pin and slot connection comprising a roll 348 on the said link 342 received' in a' slot 350 in the lower end of the arm 33.8 of the controller 288. The two sets of short toggle links 340 on opposite sides of the center link 342 extend in reverse directions, the arrangement in this respect being similar to the above described arrangement of toggle links for operating the sleeve holders 192. Upon movement of the adjusting treadle, the controller 288 is operated through the above described connections to move at the same time and correspondingly the movable sleeve holders 192 through the toggles 278, 280 toward or from the fixed center sleeve holder 192 and to move the movable guides 74 through the toggles 340, 342 toward or from the fixed center guide 74, with the result that, as above suggested,

upon movement of the said adjusting treadle, at the same time and correspondingly the plungers, buttoners, button and fly holders and anvilsare adjusted toward or from the fixed center set. To secure the central set against adjusting movement transversely of the machine, the central sleeve holder 192 is fixed, as by set screws 352 (Fig. 3), to the head 200 and the central guide 74 is secured to the tie plate 82. Plates 351 (Fig. 2) limit the amount of adjusting movement of the holders 192 in the head 200.

To provide for suitable adjustments of the plungers and buttoners for operating upon uppers out upon patterns differing in the curve or sweep of the outer edge of the buttonhole fly and consequently in the line or curve upon which the buttons and buttonholes are set, in the illustrated construction each of the holders 192 except the center holder is, as above stated, pivoted at 266 to the head 200 and there are provided for each of said holders adjusting screws 353 and 354 (Fig. 5), the screws being threaded through the holders and bearing against the outer faces of the blocks 268 and the screws 354 passing loosely through slots 359 in the holders 192 and being threaded into the blocks 268 so that upon loosening the screws 354 and turning up the screws the sleeve holders 192 will be swung ont- Wardly about their pivots 266. It will also be understood that a corresponding adjustment of the button and fly holders may be effected by moving the slide bars 72 and 90 lengthwise of the machine, such movement of the bars 72 and 90 being permitted by the manner in which they are, as above stated, adjustably secured at their rear ends in the shells 98 and 96 by the screws 94 and 92. Preferably, too, the anvils 160 are made adjustable lengthwise of the anvil bars 220 by having their stems adjustably secured in slots 355 in the anvil bars 220, as by nuts 357 threaded on the said stems (Fig.

The illustrated machine also has provision summarized as follows:

carry the plungers and buttoners may be turned within their holders 192 by means of the forks 194 which engage flattened faces on the upper portions of the sleeves 168. Each of the forks 194 carries a spring pressed plunger 356, the plungers 356 extending through the forks 194 and being adapted to engage one or another of a series of holes in the upper faces of each of the holders 192 and constituting means for permitting the sleeves 168 to be turned within their holders 192 and then looked in adjusted position. F or limiting the extent of turning movement of the sleeves 168 in either direction, each sleeve 168 is provided with a pin 358 (Figs. 3 and 21) traveling in a groove in the inside rear face of the adj acent holder 192, opposed shoulders formed at either end of each of said grooves determining the extent of movement of each pin 358 either way and consequently limiting the extent of turning movement of each sleeve 168 within its holder 192.

The operation of the machine may be Before introducing the work into the machine, the various sets of operatinginstrumentalities may be adjusted according to the length of upper to be operated upon and according to the spacing of the buttonholes and buttons thereon by movement of the positioning treadle one way or the other. The plungers 158 and buttoners 244, 246 may be turned by movement of their carrying sleeves 168 within the sleeve holders 192 to adjust the angular positions of the said plungers and buttoners according to the angular positions of the buttonholes. The holders 192 may be adjusted by means of the adjusting screws 353 and 354 to cause the line of curvature of the plungers and buttoners to correspond to the curve upon which the buttons and buttonholes are set and the button and fly holders and the anvils may be adjusted similarly by moving the slide bars 72 and 90 lengthwise of the machine and the anvils 160 lengthwise of the anvil bars 220. After these preliminary adjustments, the work, in which previously the desired number of buttonholes have been made and to which a corresponding number of buttons have al ready been attached, is introduced into the machine, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, 6 and 7, by placing the button eyes between the spring fingers of the holders, the button piece B being thrust between thebutton guides 68 and the supporting springs 242. The buttonhole fly A is then carried over and rested upon the fly holder forks 88, the buttonhole spreader blades 142 projecting upwardly through the buttonholes, the large quarter C falling outside of the springs 242. After the work has been thus placed in the work receiving means, the positioning treadle may be moved still farther, if necessary, to adjust the various sets of lnstrumentalities more exactly. The

starting treadle is then depressed to throw in the clutch and start the machine whereupon the fly holders are moved backwardly toward the machine to bring the buttonholes into alinement with the spring plungers 186 (Fig. 8). During this movement of the fly holders, the spreader arms 136 are forced apart to cause the blades 142 to open the buttonholes and hold them open for the passage therethrough of the spring plungers 186 (Figs. 8 and 9). After the buttonholes have been thus alined with the spring plungers 186 and while they are held open by the spreaders, the plungers 158 are lowered by downward movement of the head 200 to cause the spring plungers 186 to enter and pass downwardly through the buttonholes (Figs. 10 and 11). After the spring plungers 186 have passed through the buttonholes, continued backward movement of the fly holders while the button holders are held stationary causes the buttonhole spreaders to be swung downwardly and then moved backwardly to withdraw the spreader blades 142 from the buttonholes and move them. into an inoperative position (Fig. 10). Thereupon, the button holders are moved backwardly toward the machine to bring the buttons beneath and in alinement with the spring plungers 186 and with the buttonholes held thereby (Fig. 12). Thereafter, further downward movement of the head 200 causes: the spring plungers 186 to be lowered into engagement with the crowns of the button heads (Figs. 13 and 14). After the lower ends of the spring plungers 186 have engaged the heads of the buttons, the anvils 160 are moved upwardly to support the eyes of the buttons from be low (Fig. 13). The buttons being thus held against tipping movement in any direction by the spring plungers 186 and the anvils 160 (Fig. 13), the button holders are withdrawn to an inoperative position (Fig. 15) and, thereafter, during continued downward movement of the head 200, the buttoners 244, 246 are carried simultaneously (Figs. 15 and 16) down upon the buttonhole fly and then caused to carry the edges of the buttonholes downwardly over the heads of the buttons (Figs. 17 and 18). During this downward movement of the head 200, the separator ends 166 of the plungers 158 operate to spread the spring plungers 186 and tuckers 246 so that, shortly before the buttoning action of the tuckers, each button head is engaged centrally b the separator end 166 of a plunger 158 and oppositely near its edge by two spring plungers 186 which protect the edge of the button head against injury from the tuckers and at the same time slightly open the adjacent buttonhole thereby carrying the edges .tively moving said means to efl'ect to position of the buttonhole out nearly to the edge of the button head. The tuckers then strip the stock at the edges of the buttonholes off the spring plungers, carry it under the heads of the buttons and tuck it snugly against'the eyes of the buttons.

7 After the completion of the buttoning operations, the head 200 is raised and the anvils 160 are swung downwardly to cause the plunger blades 166, spring plungers 186, buttoners 2 1 1, 2&6 and anvils 160 to release the work whereupon continued downward movement of the anvil lever 232 causes the ejector bar 252to be operated, as illustrated in Fig. 19, to discharge the work from the machine. Thereafter, the parts are restored to their initial positions.

Having fully explained my invention and described in what manner the same may conveniently be embodied, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine of the class described, means for positioning a button constructed and arranged to position a buttonhole also, buttonhole fly engaging means, and mechanism for relatively moving said means to effect a buttoning operation.

2. In a machine of the class described, means for positioning a button constructed and arranged to enter and position a buttonhole also, buttonhole fly engaging means, and operating mechanism for relatively moving said means to effect a buttoning operation.

3. In a machine of the class described, means for positioning a button constructed and arranged to enter and position. a buttonhole also, buttonhole fly engaging means, and mechanism for operating said fly engaging means to effect a buttoning operation.

4. In a machine of the class descrlbed,

buttonhole fly engaging means, means for positioning a button, said button positioning means being constructed and arranged to position a buttonhole over the head of the button, and operating mechanism for relaa buttoning operation.

5. In a buttoning machine, means "for engaging a buttonhole fly adjacent to a buttonhole, button holding means constructed to support a button and to enter a buttonhole the buttonhole fly between the button and said fly engaging means, and mechanism for relatively moving said means to effect a buttoning operation.

6. In a buttoning machine, means for engaging a buttonhole fly, work holding means including means movable through a buttonhole into engagement with. a button, and mechanism for relatively moving said means to eifect a buttoning operation.

7 In a buttoning machine, means for ena g a butt nhol fly mes-11$ f p t o ing a button constructed and arranged to spread a buttonhole, and mechanism for relatively moving said means to eli'ect a buttonin operation.

8. fn a buttoning machine, work holding means comprising a device constructed to enter a buttonhole and to engage a button and means cooperating with said device to sustain the button, means to engage a buttonhole fly adjacent to the buttonhole, and mechanism for relatively moving said work holding and fly engaging means to eflect a buttoning operation.

9. In a machine of the class described,

means for relatively moving a button and buttonhole in such a manner as to effect a buttoning operation with respect to said button and buttonhole, and means operating to discharge the work from the machine at the conclusion of the buttoning operation.

10. In a machine of the class described, means for positioning a button, buttonhole fly engaging means, mechanism for relatively moving said means to effect a buttoning operation, and means for discharging the buttoned work from the machine.

11. In a machine of the class described, means for positioning a button and buttonhole, buttonhole fly engaging means, mechanism for operating said means to effect a buttoning operation, and means for (lischarging the work from the machine at the conclusion of the buttoning operation.

12. In a machine of the class described, means for positioning a button, buttonhole fly engaging moans, mechanism for operating said means in such a manner as to effect a buttoning operation, and means operating automatically to discharge the work from the machine at the conclusion of a buttoning operation.

13. In a machine of the class described, but-tonhole fly engaging means, means fo holding against tipping movement in any direction a button attached to a button piece, and operating mechanism for relatively moving said means to eifect a buttoning operation.

14. In a machine of the class described, buttonhole fly engaging means, means for yieldingly holding against tipping movement a button attached to a button piece, and operating mechanism for relatively moving said means to effect a buttoning operatlon.

15. In a machine oi: the class described, means for clamping against tipping movement a button attached to a button piece, buttonhole fly engaging means, and operating mechanism for relatively moving said means to eflect a buttoning operation.

16. In a machine of the class described, opposed relatively movable devices constructed and arranged to hold between them a button attached to a button piece, button- 

